Issues of concern to people who live in the west: property rights, water rights, endangered species, livestock grazing, energy production, wilderness and western agriculture. Plus a few items on western history, western literature and the sport of rodeo... Frank DuBois served as the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003. DuBois is a former legislative assistant to a U.S. Senator, a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior, and is the founder of the DuBois Rodeo Scholarship.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

House spending bill boosts fossil fuel research

House Republicans are targeting a key part of President Obama’s environmental agenda with a bill to give more money to federal fossil fuel research and less to renewables.
The shift in priorities is part of a $37.4 billion appropriations bill proposed Tuesday by the House GOP to fund programs in the Department of Energy and water infrastructure needs in the Army Corps of Engineers.
Research and development related to coal, natural gas, oil and other fossil fuels would get $645 million in fiscal 2017 under the bill, a $13 million increase from the 2016 level.
Programs for renewable energy research and development, which the committee said “have already received significant investments in recent years,” would be slashed by $248 million under the 2016 level and $1.07 billion more than what Obama requested.
The legislation puts significant new funding toward nuclear security as well, with a $327 million boost from last year for the Energy Department’s nuclear weapons programs.
The bill overall is $259 million higher than 2016’s funding and $168 million more than Obama’s request...more

"$259 million higher than 2016’s funding and $168 million more than Obama’s request"

I'm so old I can remember when a Republican budget was always lower. Here you have a very liberal, big spending Democrat as President, and the Republicans propose to outspend him. With the current makeup and leadership in the party, they are simply incapable of controlling spending.

The committee says the bill contains provisions to help a droughty California and the following riders:

The bill prohibits any changes to federal jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act.

The bill prohibits any changes to the definition of “fill
material” and “discharge of fill material” for the purposes of the Clean
Water Act.

The bill restricts the application of the Clean Water Act in
certain agricultural areas, including farm ponds and irrigation ditches.

The bill includes language allowing the possession of firearms on Corps of Engineers lands.